Wolverine Power Cooperative
Cadillac, MI
Wolverine Power Cooperative is a bold company, with big goals and a humble history. While r.o.i. Design enjoyed every aspect of our time with the group, what is lasting for us is their commitment to their customers, their hopes for their employees, and their desire to do the right thing.

Those values translated into a desire to make their new work place a space where collaboration, communication and innovation would thrive. That meant their new offices and employee culture would be making landmark changes in how they work. Their directive was to allow the space to be as transparent and as inclusive as possible, but also provide an inspiring environment for their business.

Rick Skendzel of Architecture Technology in Traverse City, MI, engaged r.o.i. Design to provide interior design services that included interior details, lighting design, light fixture selections, specialty millwork design and finish selections. Our close work with Skendzel, Wolverine’s Dawn Coon, and construction manager, Apex Engineering’s, Steve Steimel, was a dream team. We all were focused on the same goals, compromises were almost effortless. That collaboration achieved many things, some worth noting:

• Bringing a natural rhythm to ceilings in open areas with planes of wood and color, helping to organize a large space without adding walls.
• Highlighting the sense of innovation with a curved entry wall, LED lighting, textural surfaces and recessed niches to display historical elements.
• Using a “birds nest” pattern (symbolic of nature) into details at reception, café and board room.
• Adding dramatic lighting in café and open areas.
• Creating intimate arrangements of furniture to foster collaboration and interdepartmental socializing.